Review: 'The Wizard of Oz' at Hole in the Wall Theatre

Members of the cast by Michael Gambino

New Britain, CT - Summer Orlando presented four performances of the young performers’ edition of the iconic ‘The Wizard of Oz’ this weekend at The Hole in the Wall Theatre in downtown New Britain. This was an officially licensed production of the timeless classic and featured the first male actor to play the role of Dorothy in such a production in the world. History indeed was made with this unique production thanks to the vision of the director/star.

Summer Orlando has always loved ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and dreamed of playing Dorothy since childhood. The actor’s take on the girl from Kansas was heartfelt and all in, and was a special joy to watch. When the show changed from the sepia tones of the farm scenes to the technicolor of Munchkinland and beyond, Dorothy's gingham dress changed color as the actor spun around a la the latest production of ‘Cinderella.’ It was magical.

Photo of Summer Orlando as Dorothy by Dani Orlando

An all-star drag cast added to the charm of this production, along with what I felt was an appropriate amount of comic touches. Barbra Joan Streetsand was beautiful and bubbly in the role of Glinda the Good; a poofy pink gown and sparkly wand completed the look. Giganta Smalls was a riot as both the enchanted apple tree (sporting the best apple headdress I have ever seen that included a space for her to store the apple ammunition) and the Emerald City Door Woman decked out in emerald green. Allen Stone nailed the evil in both Miss Gulch (loved the voice!) and the Wicked Witch of the West, complete with the green skin and a great black dress. The little white dog named Juno that played Toto was the best behaved canine to play the role that I have ever seen on stage.

Kerri Morris was perfectly motherly in the role of Dorothy’s Aunt Em and Adam Brady played her husband Uncle Henry. I was impressed with the fabulous singing voice that Tristan Sauvageau brought to the roles of the Scarecrow and Hunk and his makeup and costume for the straw man were perfect. Daniel O’ Rourke was so loveable in the role of Zeke and the Cowardly Lion. His great costume featured the permed version of the lion’s mane. Jim Gourd did well as the silver Tin Man who looked a bit like Hickory the farm hand. Michael Gambino took my ticket at the door and then appeared in the show as both Professor Marvel and The Wizard.

Munchkin photo by Dani Orlando

The adorable ensemble included five young actresses who did well with the choreography that graced the Munchkin scenes and the Jitterbug dance, and all took on the flying/fighting done by the witch’s monkeys. Kennedy Morris led the ladies as Mayor of Munchkinland, Grace Altenburger and her sister Logan Altenburger were both adorable as Lullabye League munchkins. Claire Roberts was the coroner of Munchkinland and Taylor Kunkel played both the Barrister of Munchkinland and Nikko the head flying monkey. Quick changes were handled like the pros.

Photo by Michael Gambino

Summer Orlando, along with assistant director Justin Pletcher, took care of every detail for this two sided stage. There was a large monitor that creatively helped to set the various scenes with smoke for the green witch and bubbles for the pink witch. The twister scene was great without scaring the younger members of the audience, complete with the spinning house. The production team included Stage Manager Shakira Moss who was in charge of keeping everything moving smoothly backstage. Lights that worked well for the space were run by Kayla Christine and Christopher Hernandez was in charge of lots of sound cues. Libby Blauvelt choreographed the lively dance numbers while Shawn Ryan and Katie R. McKiernan worked on the costumes that were quite impressive.

This venue and hour long show were both appropriate for all ages and proved that drag performers can work well with young performers. One and all greeted patrons following the matinee I attended and graciously posed for photos.

The entire run of the show was dedicated to the memory of Sassie Saltimboca. Kudos to the talented Orlando for putting together this show in just one month and making history in the process.